Why Not The Bayfield ?

[Lady Captin]

I realize that for most the Bayfield 32- 36 , are not offshore ? So Luke you please clarify why we could not take this boat offshore ? The 36 weights over 18, oooo lbs and the capsize / comfort numbers are decent ?

Are there any Bayfield owners that have crossed oceans ? We get very different reviews ! Some say recreational boat ! Others say sturdy build ! My wife has fallen in love with the 36 , happy wife , happy life. That being said , don’t want to spend eternity at the bottom of the ocean , haunting passing ships ?

Looking Good / Bad / Ugly please?

Also I am leaning to the Contessa 32 , and spending more and possibly one that needs a little more work. Great safe boat ?

[sv_pelagia]

I too don't understand why they say this. A solid Gozzard design.

In 2012 we sailed Neah Bay to San Francisco at same time a Bayfield did the same trip. They went further offshore and arrived San Fran Pier 39 within a few hours of us.

It's a Canadian boat; perhaps some are not familiar with it.

[Mike OReilly]

If I were boat hunting, I would definitely include the Bayfield 36 in my potential list.

[Island Time O25]

I think it's a plus when the brand is under the radar as far going offshore. And some brands get the benefit of the long time PR campaigns and whatnot while being just marginally "better". If one is not under the spell of the ad/PR industry one can pick up a good deal on a solid boat.

[AiniA]

Would not suggest the smaller Bayfields. The 36 would not be my first choice but it is adequate. Note that they are now older boats, so condition, condition, condition.

[PerfectPirate]

Why not consider the Cabot 36? It is a Canadian-built Ted Brewer design with excellent bluewater credentials and good liveable space down below. There is curently one for sale in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.


By the way, the Contessa 32 is freaking tiny down below, no wider than my old C&C 27. A great, solid boat for passage-making or even a circumnavigation, but miserable for long-term living aboard. A Bayfield 36 would be a much better choice.


Also consider the Niagara 35. Designed by Mark Ellis and built by Hinterhoeller in St. Catharines, Ontario. Rock solid and excellent value. A friend of mine lived on one for years and took it all over the Atlantic Seaboard and the Caribbean.

[sv_pelagia]

I'd agree about the Niagara 35 and the Cabot (hard to find a Cabot out west... I've seen only one).

[OldManMirage]

I really think you two are going to drive yourselves nuts trying to figure out which is going to be your "perfect" boat. And of course you probably already know there is no such animal.

My very best suggestion ? Buy a Cape Dory 30. Just do it now. There's probably one close enough. They have great re-sale value, there are many of them out there, and when you don't want it anymore you can easily sell her.

You have said you plan to spend some time learning as you go. Your Tanzer 22 is not big enough to really show you what you are going to like or not like in a live-aboard cruiser.

All the things that people talk about when it comes to their favorite this or what they don't like about that may or may not apply to you. There simply is no substitute for your own experience. You are not going to know until you know...you know ?

Get a CD30 - or something similar - that's in good shape and that you can sail right now - and go sailing ! All the sailing you can. Spend nights aboard, spend weekends aboard, spend long vacations aboard. Sail away from the dock and stay aboard all the chances you get. Good weather, bad weather. Sail, sail, sail and spend the night. Sail through the night even, taking turns. You just gotta do it !

By the end of a year you will start having real ideas of what you like and don't like, and you will have a way to compare that to other boats. You may even find you like the boat you bought and keep her longer. Who knows ? You will be the ones who know !! And that is what you are lacking now.

And it's that lack that is making you a little anxious. No amount of forum knowledge is going to solve this. You have to find this out on your own.

Go. Do it !

And let us know how you're doing along the way. We'll be here !

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Lady Captin

I realize that for most the Bayfield 32- 36 , are not offshore ? So Luke you please clarify why we could not take this boat offshore ? The 36 weights over 18, oooo lbs and the capsize / comfort numbers are decent ?

Are there any Bayfield owners that have crossed oceans ? We get very different reviews ! Some say recreational boat ! Others say sturdy build ! My wife has fallen in love with the 36 , happy wife , happy life. That being said , don’t want to spend eternity at the bottom of the ocean , haunting passing ships ?

Looking Good / Bad / Ugly please?

Also I am leaning to the Contessa 32 , and spending more and possibly one that needs a little more work. Great safe boat ?

The Bayfield 36 is on the Bluewater Boats.org site (as is the Contessa 32) which is a pretty good indicator that it is up to the task of sailing offshore.

https://bluewaterboats.org/bayfield-36

https://bluewaterboats.org/contessa-32

The Contessa though will sail circles around the Bayfield (and for that matter the Cape Dory 30) which is why all boats are a compromise. You'd probably be drier and more comfortable on the Bayfield but it will be slow and couldn't point with the Contessa on it's best day much less when the wind gets up a bit.

Bayfield 32 PHRF 228

Cape Dory 30 PHRF 207

Contessa 32 PHRF 180

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

I really think you two are going to drive yourselves nuts trying to figure out which is going to be your "perfect" boat. And of course you probably already know there is no such animal.

My very best suggestion ? Buy a Cape Dory 30. Just do it now.

Go. Do it !

And let us know how you're doing along the way. We'll be here !

I certainly agree with Lee (Old Man Mirage) that you're going to drive yourself nuts.

I'll also add my voice to the puzzlement over the disparagement of Bayfields. Perhaps Pelagia is right - that the CF Member who made the comment is just not familiar with Bayfields. I would say the Bayfield 36 would be just about perfect for the uses you're both considering. Just make sure you can handle the costs and insurance of a 36 over perhaps something like a 32, as you've said you're on a tight budget. (There's an Ontario 32' on Kijiji here in Ontario that might fit your needs as well.) I also second the Niagara 35 suggestion.

Finally, I have to tease Old Man a bit (and add you must consider the source). OMM adores Cape Dorys and had been searching for one almost all of this past year.

What has he just bought? A lovely Endeavour 32' beloved by MISS Mirage (the Admiral)!

Happy wife, happy life indeed! LittleWing77

[DDabs]

There's a book called "Imperfect Passage" about a gentleman sailing a Bayfield 40 around the world. Spoiler- he made it.

[pcmm]

Nothing wrong with the Bayfields for extended cruising. My neighbor on the yard has taken his Bayfield 40 all over the place, South America and back. Its now a very old fashioned looking design ( but it was supposed to look like that originally) good strong boats. The 29 and 32 are a bit small for me now but If I was in my 20's and a 32c was available, I'd jump on it and head out!

[boatman61]

There's one in Canada (Bayfield 32c) for $22000 that I'd jump on now if I could afford it..

[davil]

Originally Posted by thomm225

The Contessa though will sail circles around the Bayfield (and for that matter the Cape Dory 30) which is why all boats are a compromise. You'd probably be drier and more comfortable on the Bayfield but it will be slow and couldn't point with the Contessa on it's best day much less when the wind gets up a bit.

Bayfield 32 PHRF 228

Cape Dory 30 PHRF 207

Contessa 32 PHRF 180

==========================

no no no no,nobody sails no circles around my CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

just kidding.
could not resist.

[Tortuga's Lie]

Maybe that poster saying that a Bayfield isn't bluewater confused a Bayfield with a Bayliner sailboat??? Not sure I would take a Bayliner too far afield